CO HJR1019

Colorado General Assembly honors the disproportionately high military service, sacrifice, and patriotism of Native American veterans who have served in every major U.S. conflict for over 200 years

Recognizes specific historical contributions including 600 Penobscot and Passamaquoddy troops in the Revolutionary War, 3,600 in the Civil War, 12,000 in WWI, over one-third of able-bodied Native American men ages 18-50 in WWII, and 42,000 in Vietnam (90% volunteers)

Acknowledges the role of Native American "code talkers" in WWI and WWII who used their languages to create unbreakable military codes, with 28 Navajo Code Talkers receiving Congressional Gold Medals in 2001

Recognizes Colorado tribes including the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Navajo, and their leadership role in the United Veterans Coalition of Colorado

Commits to addressing unique hardships faced by Native American veterans, including higher rates of homelessness, substance abuse, and limited access to culturally sensitive VA medical care on rural reservations